Comments on: Life on the high seas – Equatorial Pacific

By: emma

emma — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 16:12:20 +0000

Interesting questions! well thankfully most of the particles are dead phytoplankton, and are unrecognisable to species. So my taxonomy usually goes as far as phytodetrital aggregate, zooplankton or slap faecal pellet, dead zoopplankton (maybe to species) and sometimes phytoplankton class like diatom or dinoflagellate. So its not quite as hard or time consuming as you might think, it depends on how specific you want to be. Because so much of the material is a mush of unidentifiable things i use lipid analysis as lipids can be biomarkers of bacteria, zooplankton or phytoplankton. So its a different approach to identification when taxonomy wont work. On this particular cruise i think i found Cannabis pollen!! Was certainly a shock but then i was off the coast of Guatemala so not that surprising.

By: emma

emma — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 15:42:44 +0000

Thanks Jacki! glad you enjoyed it. Ive also been lucky enough to go to the Southern Ocean. The wildlife was the best id ever seen, penguins everywhere! i hope i get to go back there one day. Ive never seen a wild orca, that would be the dream 😀

By: Darragh McCurragh

Darragh McCurragh — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 10:11:51 +0000

“… identify all of the particles …” Well that sounds like a task even Sherlock Holmes would have deemed impossible. Surely one cannot “identify” everything that floats around a vast ocean? Or are there now, like in taxonomy, exact guidelines as to what to expect? And do you discover “new” particles still?

By: Jacki Hart

Jacki Hart — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 13:08:26 +0000

Hi Emma,
loved your article about this trip. You are so lucky to have had the opportunity to go on this research trip.
My friend ,a few years back, went on the Marco Polo visiting the Antarctic & she regularly is asked to give talks on the flora & fauna encountered. She is a avid bird watcher so there are lots of penguins of all shapes & sizes but also Weddle seals & Orcas!!!!
Here favourite bits of that trip were, however, the things said by other people. They all had red Marco Polo jackets & one American lady was heard saying (whilst on the Falkland) “Have you seen my husband? He is wearing a red jacket” .
Enjoy your research & remember that you are never too old to learn!!!